1. Most of the rail was for single passage ( not for two way traffic )
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The spike, made of 17.6-carat gold, was just over five and one-half inches long and weighed ounces.
The Tie was 8 x 6-inch laurelwood tie was seven and one-half feet long,
and bore a centered silver plaque marked “ the last tie laid on completion of the Pacific Railroad, May, 1869 “
Most of the ties laid were of local softwood varieties, and most had to be replaced in a few years.
Most of the rail was for single passage ( not for two way traffic )
Resource management was even then part of their Definition of Done.
The two railway companies built past each other.  They were paid by the mile,
so more miles were built than were necessary.  Still, they finished ahead of schedule and under budget.
5/10/2019
Definition of Done Day

2. Yes, there was a Quarter created for the TCRR
By the year 1900, 30% of all the worlds goods
were manufactured in the U.S.
It was not the Transcontinental Railroad that
killed the Pony Express. It was actually the
Transcontinental Telegraph that killed it.
When the Telegraph went live, the Pony Express
was disbanded two days later.
When the Transcontinental Railroad was built,
the Transcontinental Telegraph was moved to
the right of way for easier maintenance.
5/10/2019
Definition of Done Day

3. they were christened with water from the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
When the two replica locomotives created for the 1979 re-enactment were hauled by truck to Promontory,
they were christened with water from the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
Most replica locomotives run on waste motor oil, but in 1990, the two at Promontory where converted
To run as the originals did – coal for 119 and wood for Jupiter.
5/10/2019
Definition of Done Day

4. Railroads created the need for Standard Time Zones
The Transcontinental Railroad enforced the need for Time Zones across the U.S. for uniform train schedules for departures and arrivals.
Four standard time zones for the continental United States were introduced on November 18, 1883
The Time Zones are set 15 longitudinal degrees.
Greenwich Mean Time ( GMT) was not a general standard, and the U.S. did not sign its Time Zones into law until 1918
Railway time was the standardized time arrangement first applied by the Great Western Railway in England in November the first recorded occasion when different local mean times were synchronised and a single standard time applied.
Station Clocks became the standard of all clocks in a town, despite the resistance of locals.
The use of Telegraphs enforced Standard Times
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Definition of Done Day

5. The Great Gauge Change of 1886
One reason the South lost the Civil War was the use of many Gauges in Railroad Tracks
( the distance between the two rails) The North used the 4 foot 8 ½ inch gauge used in England.
Different Gauges meant that loads and people had to be off-loaded when moving to a different rail company
at interchange points, or different “trucks” wheels were installed on the railcars.
In 1871, 23 different gauges existed in the United States, ranging in width from three to six feet.
Finally, a standard was selected based on the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the date for the change,
May 31 to June 1, 1886
Only one rail would be moved on the day of the change, so inside spikes were hammered into place
at the new gauge-width in advance of the change, leaving only the need for a few blows from a sledgehammer
once the rail was placed. As May 31 drew near, some spikes were pulled from the rail that was to be moved
in order to reduce as much as possible the time required to release the rail from its old position.
Rolling stock also had to be changed.
In 36 hours, 11,500 miles of track were changed over.
5/10/2019
Definition of Done Day

6. which was an online chat on our AgilePhilly Slack Channel.
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Our National Definition of Done Day came about after World Retrospective Day in February
which was an online chat on our AgilePhilly Slack Channel.
Discussed were:
One hour maximum for Retrospectives. Everyone has trouble engaging their teams.
Work on ONE BIG ITEM. Put the change into your Team’s Backlog.
Use Software tools like Quiplash or Scatterspoke that every team member can add to.
5/10/2019
Definition of Done Day